My raised beds 2020.

[Alleyyooper]

I was not sure I was going to do any thing with my raised beds this year. Tomatoes have been a problem child in this part of Michigan for my self and a couple friends.

2017 we were hit with early blight dease that wiped out 90% of Michigans tomato crop. Of course our home gardens got it also.

Since I use raised beds it isn't as easy to change the area where you grow the next years crop as suggested.
I did take outer steps how ever removeing all th edirt from the beds and hualing it away in the fall let the winter snow and rain wash the frames all winter and when spring came mix up some bleach soap (dish) and scrub the frames down inside and out.
Do a bleach rince a day later and refill with new soil.

Yet some brands like big boy do not do well and will start dieing off come mid July just when the crop is starting to come in.

But since I miss being able to walk out to the garden with a salt shaker I once again this year set a few plants out. Brands that in the past two years have been better than the adverage.

One bed I was just going to let lay this year and bury house hold scraps in it.
I made some butternut squash creamy soup and buried the peels and all the insides includeing the seeds.

I now have a bed full of butter nut squash, dumplings and cukes I planted to join them.
Only have two of my three beds plante dfor now.
May do the third bed later with a couple fall crops.

In 2016 my first year of raised beds My tomatoes grew about 7 feet tall. i have since learned how to prune and keep them manageable.



They really did well and the slat shaker was kept busy.


Spent all kinds of money for things to water my raised beds 4'x8' and found two things I made were the best. One was a old water bottle I drilled holes in and it fit over the end of the hose.
Worked really wel slipping between the plants and kept the water inside the beds.
the one I use today how ever is 1/2" PVC pipe I drilled a pair of rows of holes in a V pattern ad a valve to control the flow from high to a barly trickle. also can streach it out with a pair in all three raised beds.



Al

[Alleyyooper]

2018 Raised beds early.





I use Marigolds a lot to keep a pest free garden.





the mock orange my wife was mad I spent money on.



Was not happy with the corn growing in the raised bed and do not do so any longer.



Tomatoes the cages just do not work.





Al

[Bakersdozen]

Nice pictures, Alleyyooper.  What variety of tomato does your local Ag college recommend?
I'm not an expert on corn, but I would think you need a several rows of corn for pollination to happen as it's wind pollinated.

[Zweefer]

Looks nice!  Thanks for sharing.  My wife is talking of getting raised bed specifically for strawberries so they don’t creep beyond where they are supposed to be.

[iddee]

Nice post, Al. I enjoyed it. Beats my 4 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants hands down.

[Bakersdozen]

Looks nice!  Thanks for sharing.  My wife is talking of getting raised bed specifically for strawberries so they don’t creep beyond where they are supposed to be.

]

In some locations (my yard with poor drainage) the soil is not great for growing vegetables.  The only thing I have gotten to grow in pots is cherry tomatoes and herbs.  I have two raised beds.  One is for lavender and herbs and the other is for tomatoes, etc.  I have some hives located on a near by farm.  He uses barrels for planting some things.  I don't know exactly what, but he is happy with the results.  The soil is not great there.  It looks like it was originally prairie.  He turns out his livestock to graze on most of it.  He also does a lot of composting. 

[Alleyyooper]

I have no Idea what the Ag college Michigan State recommends for tomatoes.

I have always planted what people at the bee clubs recommend and what starts they do at the nursery.

I filled my raised beds with dirt i hauled from the woods. Have a picture of that some where probably photo bucket and they are captive needing ransomed.

I like my raised beds because I can reach across them with a garden tool to loosen the soil and all the plants are handy for harvesting.

I used to have a huge normal garden i used a tractor to do all the work includeing rhe cultvateing. But when the kids all left home i didn't need that much. and people i would give stuff to wanted me to snap the peas and beans, husk the corn in other words do every thing includeing the canning.


Al.

[Bakersdozen]

 and people i would give stuff to wanted me to snap the peas and beans, husk the corn in other words do every thing includeing the canning.


Al.

My Mom always complained about that too.  She quit offering except to a few who would come out to the farm to pick.  Now days, Ag Tourism is a big thing.  City people drive out to farms with the kids to pick a pint of strawberries.

[Alleyyooper]

Yes have several U pick places here but most have stopped that. They have gone to the share coop, you grow straw berries and I do asparigus so we work out a trade and it equals out.

Biggest complaint I heard with the U pick is familys would come to pick a few quarts of strawberrys and the kids would eat all they picked and tramp on a lot while playing around.


Al

[Alleyyooper]

I made my beds with recycled lumber, these were 2"x6"x8' .
Laid down recycled news paper to stop weed growth from getting a real good start.



As I said I hauled the dirt from back in my woods. I would dig a bunch up and load it, use a garden rake to remove roots as I went.



I still needed to clean the last bit in this load before placeing in the beds.



One bed finished and ready for plants.


Of course thr dirt settled and I needed to add more the next year.


Al

[Newbee]

Thanks for sharing the pics!
Great idea with that 1/2" pipe and valve.... I may have to go to the hardware store now, thanks!

@Zweefer: I had success re-purposing a strawberry tower planter I tried making a few years ago. I had read about using PVC pipe to grow strawberry plants in vertically: 6" Thin-wall PVC Pipe and a 4" Hole saw, alternate holes going up/down the pipe. Put cap on end, fill with soil and plants, mount vertically, voila!
Yeah, didn't work so good, plants all dried out right quick. Added a watering pipe the following year: better, still no berries. Tossed pipe into the woods to be forgotten.
THIS year we cleaned up that patch of woods! Found the pipe, inspiration struck again! Removed  watering pipe (debatable), and mounted it horizontally this time (with a slight tilt). Made a stand from some logs to get it off the ground to picking height, re-packed with dirt and 20 new berry plants, watered regularly, voila! Berries!
They still kick out runners like always, but since it's about 3-4 feet off the ground, they're easy to spot and grab/pull off.

- K